Confessions of a Bookaholic

Fevre Dream – Book Review

Synopsis: When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.

Marsh meant to turn down York’s offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve—coupled with the terrible force of York’s mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare…and mankind’s most impossible dream.

Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire’s quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman’s dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.

Review: The write of GoT has other books, that was my first thought seeing this cover, and then, I’ve thought about reading it. to be honest I was excited, despite not reading A song of ice and Fire series yet, I’ve decided I’d give this one a go. Why? Well, it was a stand alone.

I’ve decided to start reading it, and within the first couple of chapters I was really into the book, and I got hooked. But them it got too much. Let me explain. There was several reasons why this book was not great for me, starting with the fact that steam boats must be something special, the main character Captain Abner Marsh is the captain of one, obsessed with getting the fastest steam boat. Secondly, we are talking about a certain time period that brings up themes like slavery, honestly I’m not a big fan of that theme. Another thing, this book has vampires, that was something that intrigued me first getting into the book, but at the same time at a point was confusing.

“How could it end any other way? The beast was greater than they were, a force of nature. The beast was like the river, eternal. It had no doubts, no thoughts, no dreams or plans.”

I have no criticism on the writing, it’s very concise and really well written, but it relies on big descriptions that become tedious after awhile.

Overall, I’ve felt that reading this book took too much of me and that I was putting too much of an effort to read something that was giving me nothing.